A Hug
by artmusicjoy
Summary: That's all he ever wanted. But who would ever come close to him?
1. Chapter 1

**A Slenderman Fanfic **** I own nothing!**

Four-year-old Ashley walks through the forest, looking around. She hadn't been told the stories; the stories of a man in a black suit, a man who steals any of the unfortunate souls he meets, a man with long limbs and many arms, a man with no face. Her parents only told her not to go into the woods at night. "But why, Mummy?" she always asked.

"Because…it's not safe to go out there all alone," he mother would reply, looking warily into the forest, wanting to spare her child of the night terrors that were running ramped throughout the town.

"But why is it not safe?" Ashley pressed her mother further.

"Just don't go out there, promise?" Her mother grew impatient.

"Yes, mummy," Ashley would say, and rest her head on the windowsill, looking into the vast span of trees which encircled her backyard. What's _so scary that Mummy doesn't want me to go out there?_ she asked herself over and over. She was determined to see what had her mother so worked up; and tonight, the perfect opportunity came about.

"I'm off to a dinner party," her mother told her, "Daddy should be here soon. Remember, don't go outside and don't answer the door for anyone but your father."

"OK," a smiled spread across her face as she planned her escape into the woods.

"Bye, sweetie, I love you," she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"Love you, too, Mommy" she smiled and waved goodbye to her mother. She stood in the kitchen a moment, listening as her mother's car pulled out of the garage.

Ashley ran out the back door to the porch. _This isn't scary_, she thought and walked across the yard; her long, white nightgown fluttering behind her with each step she took closer to the mysterious wood.

Ashley was completely unaware of the being that hid itself amongst the trees, following her, staying out of sight. _Another little one_, the dark entity thought to himself as he came closer to the child ahead of him. With one of his many long arms, he reached for the girl. As his hand rested on her shoulder, she twisted her neck to see him.

As she turned around, little Ashley thought only one thing_, Why is he out here in a suit and tie?_ She looked at his black face, "Why are you here?" she asked innocently.

There was no answer.

"Are you lost?"

Nothing, but he slowly got down on one knee, now at eyelevel with her (if he had eyes, that is).

Ashley tilted her little head to the side, "Are you alone?"

He nodded.

"Do you live here?"

Her nodded again.

"Do you get lonely?"

The tall man looked down at the ground. But, a moment later, a pair of tiny arms, tightly wrapped around him. He pulled back a bit before resting his own hands on Ashley's back. He pulled back and stood up. Seeing her still smiling face, he offered his hand to the child. She placed her much smaller one into his.

He walked, little Ashley struggling to keep up with his long strides. "Where are we going?"

Still no response, as she expected.

"Have you always lived in the forest?"

He couldn't answer. He had lived in these woods for as long as he could remember. They used to be much larger before the townspeople showed up. But he kept them from expanding their town any further.

As they neared the edge of the forest, Slenderman desperately wanted to turn around. He wanted Ashley to stay, she's the only one had ever been nice to him. They reached her yard, but he still held her tiny hand, not wanting to let go.

She looked up at him, "Bye, Mister!" she said and headed for her house. Before stepping inside, she turned and waved goodbye to her friend. He did the same, before heading back into the cold, lonely woods.


	2. Chapter 2

_Continued Ending…_

Ashley's parents didn't suspect a thing. They never even knew she had left. She had dinner and went off to bed like any other night. As she lay down, her new friend slowly approached the house. He could still remember how it felt to have her tiny arms wrap around him. If he could smile, he would have. His shadow fell across her bed in the moonlight, and she began to stir. He back away from the window, _Should I stay or should I go?_ "Hm?" he heard from inside. He poked his head into view to see Ashley was fully awake.

She smiled, "Hi," she said cheerfully. He came into full view and gave her a small wave. "What are you doing here?" He shrugged, not knowing what else to do. 'What was he here?' he asked himself. He looked into Ashley's eyes, seeing the goodhearted look in her eyes, something he could never say is true for himself. He turned, heading back to the forest.

He barely got two steps in before Ashley opened her window to ask, "Where are you going?"

He froze for a moment before turning back to her. He looked over his shoulder to the trees, to his home.

"Are late for supper?" she asked, her innocence clear in her question.

Slenderman nodded; thankful he now had an excuse to go.

"Oh, then bye Mister," she smiled and waved goodbye, for the second and final time, to her friend. He waved and hesitantly walked back. _Such a nice girl…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Alternate Ending 1: Warning! Sad!**

…As they neared the edge of the forest, Slenderman desperately wanted to turn around. He wanted Ashley to stay, she's the only one had ever been nice to him. They reached her yard, but he still held her tiny hand, not wanting to let go.

Then he heard voices from inside the house,

'How long has she been missing?'

'Let's go look at least!'

'Where could she have gone?'

'Let's check the woods!'

His blood ran cold, his grip tightened on Ashley's hand. The back door opened, the light falling just in front of them.

"Ashley!" her father yelled, "You…" he gasped, "Get away from my daughter!"

"What's wrong Daddy?"

"Ashley, get inside."

"Why?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Get inside now, while you still can!"

_Yelling…I hate yelling._

"Okay, bye, Mister," she smiled at him before walking to her father.

"Stay behind me, Sweetie."

"But wh-" a loud 'Bang!' interrupted her, she held her now ringing ears. "Daddy?" she asked as she watched her friend had fallen on his stomach. The shot had barely missed him and he was looking around frantically.

"Damn it, missed 'em," her father grumbled and reloaded.

"Daddy! No!" she yelled as her friend scrambled to is feet.

Another 'Bang!' This time he wasn't so lucky and fell onto his back, his hand resting on his heart.

Now, Ashley wasn't too young to understand death, but she was to young to understand why her father had shot her friend. She ran to him, ignoring her father, yelling behind her.

"Are you OK?"

He shook his head.

She didn't know how to respond, seeing her friend bleeding on the ground, and no child should ever have to see something like this. "No," a tear leaked from her eye.

He wiped it away and, in a rough voice, whispered his first and final words on this Earth, "Goodbye…Ashley…"

**:'(**


	4. Chapter 4

Continued from last chapter...

The creature known as Slenderman was gone, the curse on the town had been lifted!

But no one could understand the new curse that weighed down on Ashley. The death of a friend, the loss of trust in her father, the town declaring her insane for believing 'that horrid creature,' as they called him, was good. Her father tried to explain, 'He's taken dozens of people, especially children. You would've been next. He was probably just pretending to be your friend. You were very lucky. I don't want to lose you.'

"You wouldn't have. He was my friend. He's nice. He didn't try to take me. He was just lonely..." she always argued, but after a time they stopped listening.

Ashley wore black for weeks, which many considered overkill for the death of a monster. But to Ashley it was necessary. She had few friends before the 'incident' as her parents called it, and morning her newest one scared all others away. Even at her young age, she understood true loneliness, and she understood what Slenderman was feeling, even without saying anything.

She sat in the back of her class, not talking and barely listening. She'd often be caught looking out the window at the woods, as if expecting to see Slenderman standing at the forest's edge, or at the window waving to her, or-or something. But he never was.

He was gone forever.

Life went on like this, until one day in the following spring. On her walk home from school (which the town and its people now deemed safe to do) she saw men on the edge of the woods, chainsaws in hand. The loud whine of the chainsaws sent Ashley bolting towards the men shouting, "Stop!" But they couldn't hear her over the sound of their machines. "Stop!" she yelled again.

They pressed the chainsaw against the large trunks of the trees, "No!" she yelled. Now she was close enough to grab one of the mans' arms.

"Hey, kid, you shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, this place is off limits. We don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Hey guys, look it's the town lunatic. Listen, Crazy, just go home." Ashley ignored their words, looking into the woods, a familiar voice in her head whispered, "Stop them, Ashley."

"Hey kid, you listening? Get away!"

"No..." she said under her breath.

"What was that?"

She blinked, "No!" she said louder.

"Whatever," one of them shrugged, starting up his chainsaw again. The other shrugged Ashley off his arm and got to work. She fell back, a curtain of hair covering her face.

Unknown to the workers, the shadows of the trees shifted around them and the sky grew grey. The wind blew and Ashley stood up, her black dress billowed in the breeze. Out of nowhere, large tree branches with blackened leaves fell down, inches away from the workers.

"What the?" they turned to Ashley, her pale, blond hair still covered her face.

"Leave, now," Ashley said in a darkened tone, peeking through her blond curtain.

"Sure kid, whatever you say," they rolled there eyes and went back to work.

As the chainsaws made contact with the trees, black sludge oozed out of the trees, flying in the mens' faces.

"Ew. What is this?" they asked as they wiped their faces. "Hey kid, what kind of trick are you trying to pull here?"

"I told you to leave, but you wouldn't listen," she replied eerily.

"That's I'm outta here!" one of the men said, running away.

"Hey, Mike! We've got a job to do!" the other man ran after him.

As they disappeared in the distance, the clouds looming overhead and the creeping shadows below dispersed. Ashley lifted her head.

"You did well, my girl," a voice said. One she had only heard once.

"Slendy?"

As the legend goes, Ashley was never seen again. But there have been reports of a little, blond haired girl dressed in white skipping through the forest and a ghostly figure in a suit that walks along next to her.

**I've never written 'horror' before but I wanted Slenderman to live...kind of...hope you liked it :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another alternate ending because I know how the game is…this seemed more realistic.**

…. Ashley was completely unaware of the being that hid itself amongst the trees, following her, staying out of sight. _Another little one_, the dark entity thought to himself as he came closer to the child ahead of him. With one of his many long arms, he reached for the girl. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she let out a scream. She whipped around to see a man. A tall, slender man with no face, he wore a suit and tie, such classy apparel for a man who was about take away another child. She turned to run, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she barely dodging the trees ahead of her.

But her little legs could only go so fast, and her dress caught under her feet multiple times.

She tripped once again…but this time she wouldn't be able to escape. Her dress has caught on something, but it was too dark to see what. She pulled and pulled with all her might, knowing the man couldn't be too far behind. "Help!" she cried, but to no avail. Her scream only helped the dark fiend find her. She saw him, standing several feet away. Her eyes darted back and forth from her nightgown to the man that had chased her. Every time she looked back, he seemed to have come closer, while also not having moved at all. His long arms stay behind his back until he was looking down at little Ashley.

He grabbed her arm and…well let's just little Ashley is gone. The police tried, but she, and the other children who had gone missing, were never seen again.

Nobody has survived an encounter with 'Slenderman' as the news reporters called him, and he hasn't been seen since. The only evidence that he still lurks in the woods is the disappearances of other townsfolk who had gone looking for their children.

**Now, if I might ask, what's that outside your window?**


End file.
